The Calamity from the Skies
by Vulpine Ninja
Summary: A prequel to Final Fantasy 7, of what happened 2000 years ago during Cetra's rule and when Jenova came to the planet.
1. The Goddess

Chapter 1 – The Goddess

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She watches two men, battling fiercely, far from the hilltop. She watches them absolute boredom in her eyes, it is as if she had seen too much of this violence. It was nothing new to her, she yawned. Her body rested on a gaudy throne designed for her alone, sheltered by a stone roof, sturdy pillars supporting it standing on the marble floor.

She could see half the world from here, literally; it could either be her abnormal vision or this planet is just quite small. Tiny specks of fallen bodies scattered all over the meadows and deserts. Distorted corpses lay about the forests, internal organs fell apart in the mountains and the rest of the civilization drifted into the sea.

Two burly silhouettes still fought in the sunset, their elongated shadows made synchronized dance with their brutal moves. Though goddess watches with no expression, she cannot help feeling guilty that all these fights, and all these death was caused by her. Yet she knows it is not entirely their fault; she came here to be loved – not to be worshiped.

At last, one of the figures pierced his hands through the other's chest. The victim was too exhausted to scream, but she could see the from the movement of his facial features that he was in pain. It was nothing to her, she has seen worse, but she imagined how painful it is if her own heart is impaled. She wonders if the pain is the same as the time she felt unwanted.

The killer pulls away his hand, shoving of his victim onto the ground who collapsed like a ragged doll. She saw the killer, staring at his bloodied hands, then at the man he injured. Everything went static, she wondered if the killer is listening to his victim's last words. After a long pause, the killer dropped onto his knees, clutched his temples and screamed.

It was an agonizing scream.

The goddess shuddered at the frequency of his voice. Her guilt sparks even more, but her ego drove her to not blame herself. She was close to tears, but she rather not be discovered crying once the man climb up the hill to face her. She is after all, a 'goddess' – someone who is supposedly responsible to give happy blessings to her worshippers. She cannot show any signs of sadness, she should be a superior being on this very land.

At least, that was what the planet's people expected her to be.

She noticed the distance between the man and herself decreasing, as he was limping towards the hill, stumbling over dead bodies along the way. He swayed, lost his balance now and then, stopping for a while resting his hands on his knees. He was tired, she presume. It was a long and restless battle. She knew that he will not be arriving in a blink of an eye. There will be more obstacles on the hill that would delay his visit to her. Understanding his situation, she told herself that she would give him until midnight. She decided to sleep for a while. She saw him picking up a staff to support himself as he walks before closing her eyes. She must wake up before he arrived, a goddess in his (and his people's) eyes should watch over the land without any sleep.

Hours had passed, but it felt like minutes when she heard shuffling from outside the entrance. Her sensitive ears woke her up, and she automatically straightened herself on the throne. She made sure her posture was alright, her clothing in place and her silvery hair neat. A goddess must appear grand in front of her worshippers, even if there was only one left. She hoped that her face did not look weary from watching endless battles, although she knew that she would always look beautiful, as often told by these planet natives.

A burly man stepped into to doorway, standing like a strong warrior yet still firmly holding the staff. The light from the moons and stars allowed her to see the details of this survivor. He was breathing heavily through his jagged teeth, a few of them missing and broken. Cuts and bruises where everywhere, and a deep gash on his shoulder dripped blood onto the pure white floor. Sweat trickled through his thick fur. Small chunks of flesh were suck between his talons, a few of them missing and broken as well.

"Goddess", he gasped. He started walking slowly towards her throne. His legs were shaking – he was forcing himself to look almighty. The goddess true feelings were sympathetic, but her face was showing an expression of a proud mother beaming at her successful son. That was what these people wanted to see from her. That was what they all have been fighting for; to make her proud. To impress her.

As he reached several paces from her, he sagged onto his knees, hands still on his staff. That was how his people were supposed to prostrate to her. He tried to catch his breath, she let him calm down and search for words.

Then he spoke, "Is this...what you have always wanted?"

The goddess tilted her head, her smile disappeared. She did not expect to be questioned like this.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" he continued, "End of civilization? There is only one of us left! How can I live alone like this?"

The goddess' lips twitched. Is he blaming her now? But she tried her best to stay calm, and smugly gave this answer, "Indeed, you are alone now. We are alone. You have me".

"You are a goddess... how can I... just be with you?"

Anger flared in her eyes.

"Were you not the one who was most devoted to me?" she spoke, trying to maintain cool, "Is this not what you have always wanted? To be my warrior, my protector, the most ultimate being after myself?"

"But I...I have killed so many people..."

"Is that not for my sake?"

The warrior fell silent. He closed his eyes, aware of what he and the rest of his people had been doing all this while. Eversince the goddess came from the sky, everyone began treating her like a queen. Everyone, men and women, old and young were too engrossed in pleasing her. Everyone worked hard to build a better living, as they felt blessed and grateful that a heavenly body have decided to live on the ground with them.

Yet whenever there was a plague and despair, all have started to become more desperate to please her. They thought they had not done enough for her to stop disaster from occurring. She admitted that she enjoyed the attention, but she did not have the courage to tell them that natural disasters were beyond her abilities, she could not bear to see disappointment in their faces. She let them try as hard as they wanted. She do not want them to doubt her... let alone abandon her for not doing anything to make them happy. Even if it means killing off each other.

"We did everything, for your sake, it was true", the warrior finally said, "It was just now.. after I killed my very own best friend, I just realize... what we have been doing... is wrong. That is why I ask you, is this what you wanted? Do you have pleasure watching us murder one another?".

She could not help but to let out a chuckle. She smirked for a second, then controlled her expression back to normal and said, "Only now you realized that? I did not even order you to fight among yourselves, but your own feelings drove each of you into this massacre. It was your own determination to attain my so-called blessing, it was your own motivation to get my attention. All of you unconsciously commit this immoral deed... for my sake. I never said anything. Yet you are blaming me for your extinction?"

The warrior gritted his teeth. Clearly, he knew that what his goddess said was true. But... "Why didn't you stop us?"

Her lips thinned. She searched for appropriate words to explain why, she must be careful not to say anything that sound like a lousy excuse.

"How can I stop you? You all were so high spirited-"

"You loved it, do you? You love being treated like a god, do you, Jenova??"

"How dare..." She almost snapped, but stopped halfway. Suddenly she noticed that he did not speak to her like a devotee, then she snickered, "You were the one who thought I was a god. I merely played along".

The warrior cursed, stared at her with penetrating eyes, lifting himself up to a fighting stance. He could have instantly stabbed her if he still had strength. But his muscles were too worn-out to move. His energy lost as much as his blood did as he clambered up the steep hill. Realizing his weak state, he grunted, "Get out of here".

Jenova stood up gracefully, emitting a strange aura from her body. Some sort of pollen she released whenever she was furious. And she knew this aura was critical enough for creatures to touch as it had caused all living things to mutate. Including this warrior before her, he used to be astonishingly handsome before she accidentally turned him into a monster. So did other people. They all have died as monsters. And now she wanted to use this power to suck the life out of him. What is there to spare? The whole planet is dead, whether she left him live or not, it would make no difference.

The warrior dropped dead. She could feel a slight surge of energy seeping inside her. She barely used this skill, nor had she used any other skill she had. A part of her felt unfortunate to have gifted with such evil abilities. Yet it was a necessity for her own survival.

She ran outside of the temple, glided down the hill heading towards the crater where her vessel remained untouched.

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**A/N : **It has been about 6 years since I last wrote a fanfic. I hope this one is ok. I decided to write something about Jenova, cos I don't find much of them. I am prone to accidentally do grammar or spelling mistakes, please note me if you find any. Thanks for your time and cooperation ^^


	2. The Three Friends

**Chapter 2 – The Three Friends**

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The night sky seem cloudless and perfectly clear. Countless of stars scattered in a random pattern, some form a shape of household objects and creatures if you know how to connect the dots. Lying on his back, Ventus smiled as he counted the stars one by one, sighing whenever he thought he overlooked a star or two and decided to restart his count. A slight wind blew a fleck of wasteland sand into his eyes and he cursed as he shut his eyes.

"Not asleep yet?" a voice said from behind him. He sat up, turned his head around, and grinned as he saw a friend of his was approaching him.

"I can't sleep, Meer," he addressed his friend, who sat next to him and leaned against a rock, bending one knee. "What about you?"

"I was worried about a friend of mine who seem to be missing from the campsite," his friend remarked as his stroke his short blonde hair, "I fear he might be captured by the enemy too soon".

Ventus laughed out loud. Obviously, Meer was referring to him. He often ventured about without telling anyone. It was a habit of his that never cease to make his friends worry.

"We have to go to war tomorrow", Meer continued, "You need enough rest".

"Let him be, Meer," came another voice, the two boys glanced to the right, "This might be the last night for him to enjoy watching the stars".

"Suna!" Ventus greeted his friend, and patted the spot beside him inviting Suna to sit down. Suna sat down cross-legged.

"Can't you sleep too?" Meer asked.

"To tell you the truth, I'm quite nervous for tomorrow," Suna answered grimly. His mouth twitched. He hesitated, his friends waited for him to speak while letting the howl of wind break the silence. Then finally he said, "Do we... really have to go to war?"

"What? Are you scared?" Meer replied with a smirk. Suna scowled, then turned away, staring at the village miles away. His face hidden by his dark brown hair disabled his friends to read his expression. But Meer could guess what he was thinking, "Are you worried about Leyan?"

Suna flinched. His cheeks turned slightly pink. Ventus sniggered at that reaction, then punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about her," he said, "She'll be safe at home".

"Imagine how proud she would be; her lover fighting in a war, returning home victorious," Meer cited pretending to be all dreamy. Suna shook his head.

"Leyan disapproved me from going to war. She'd rather not see me injured, or worse...die," he mumbled.

"Then we have to make sure you are safe!" exclaimed Ventus, "You have to try your best not to be hurt by our enemies then".

"Like, running away?"

"That is cowardly!" Meer exclaimed, standing up with his hands on his hips. "We've been practicing how to protect ourselves, haven't we? Still not confident with your skills? Then stand up! Let us have a last minute practice!"

Ventus hopped onto his feet, and pulled Suna's arm to force him up. Suna made a gesture to escape from them, but Ventus pushed him towards Meer. Meer mocked a few punches, which Suna unwillingly practiced his blocking moves. Ventus laughed at his two friends' spontaneous practice session, and then returned his gaze to the sky.

Like any other young men from the small village of Midgar, Jun, the leader of the small troops recruited them to be involved in a war against the Cetra. The Cetra race were very much like humans, but their more spiritual than humans who prioritize materialism. It is not that the Cetra are cruel towards humans, but Jun does not believe by just being able to 'listen to the planet' can change the world. Jun wants a better and developed future, especially for his own race. Midgar villagers have been mining their land and found various minerals that can be used to build better homes and equipments. The Cetra were doing nothing but praying, praying and praying. Jun was an ambitious person, he dreams on expanding his influence and conquest in order to seek other materials useful for future development. He believed that there were more materials waiting to be discovered out there.

Although he had a strong ideology, however, he placed his trust on Meer to lead the troops. Jun may be the chief, but Meer is more of a warrior type than he was. Meer was his most loyal supporter and had his own dreams to achieve.

A fist travelled towards Ventus' face, but he managed to dodge it. Ventus woke from his daydream and realized he was almost beaten up by Meer. He chuckled, and behind him was a worn out Suna - on all fours.

"If the war happens at night, let's hope you don't get distracted by the stars," said Meer sarcastically.

"Sorry," Ventus yawned. Finally, he was getting sleepy, "But I would not want to miss any shooting stars across the sky".

"You and your childhood fantasies. Don't tell me you're still sticking to that fairy tale? How long are you going to keep dreaming of your 'goddess'?"

Ventus shrugged. Meer was right, he was being childish. His parents used to tell him tales of mystical creatures that roam about the earth. But no one had ever come across them, perhaps they do not live on land like he did, perhaps they were just flying somewhere up there and visit the land from time to time. He had seen a few shooting stars throughout his years of living, and assumed it was the divine beings.

"Don't worry," said Meer, after a long pause, "Once we conquer other lands, we'll find the answer to that."

"The Cetra would probably know more than we do," Suna interrupted. "If we could ask them nicely, I'm sure that they would cooperate".

"I'm not sure that they'd be too friendly to their opponents"

Suna sighed. "I wish there are better ways than to attack them..."

"Jun had tried to spread his ideas peacefully. The Cetra rejected it. They say excessive mining will hurt the Planet. I find it funny though".

"I wish I have their special powers. I want to know what it is like to be able to 'hear' the Planet talking or something," Ventus spoke, then frowned, "But it must be very frustrating to listen to so many voices at the same time. Now who would want that?"

From stories passed down by their ancestors, humans were like backward evolutions of the Cetra. His grandmother had told him that humans were Cetra - used to be able to listen to the planet, but soon got tired of hearing voices of dead people. The more they hear them, the less they can move on. Their ancestors tried hard to suppress that special ability by pretending to be 'deaf' in order to move forward. Slowly a huge number of Cetra lost that special powers and transformed into a new species called "humans". They were no longer confined by the rules of the planet, they felt do things that they liked without fretting over restrictions. They were able to invent new technology, though in small numbers. And Jun was one of the new generation's geniuses.

"That's creepy," Suna agreed.

"I have to admit that they are mentally strong. I wonder how they survive long hearing voices" Meer pondered out loud.

"Hey let's go back to camp," Ventus yawned again, ignoring his friend's ramble. He trod down the hill heading for the campsite, "Jun would be angry if we wake up late tomorrow. Especially you Meer, he needs you".

"It was your fault to begin with, Ventus," he replied, following his dark haired friend. Suna tailed him, his gaze went back to the far-off distance. He could see the tiny candle lights of Midgar disappear little by little, wondering if Leyan is staying up all night thinking of him. He sighed, he wished he could be with her now. Not somewhere else, waiting to participate in a pointless fight. Sometimes he found himself cursing his human ancestors for letting go of the Cetran ability, sometimes he swore to himself that he was not born as a Cetra. Maybe in his heart he belonged to the other race, where none of these materialistic thoughts become a reason to live.

The three of them crawled back into their respective tents. Suna took one last look at Midgar, while Ventus did the same towards the stars. Meer on the other hand, gazed at the far away mountains, where a group of Cetra had made home around that area. He could see himself achieving his dreams up ahead. He could see himself, along with his friends cheering triumphantly, holding on to something that they have been searching for.

He could see this coming true.

It was an oath between three friends.

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**A/N: **For some reason I sorta ripped off some ideas from Genesis' beloved LOVELESS, in case you guys noticed. Once again, thanks for the read.


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